GOTHAM: YEARS
by thewomanwhosoldtheworld
Summary: A moment took Bruce's parents away from him, moments will continue to shape his life. A Bruce POV post episode one continuing right up to when he is Batman
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing if you do, I hope you enjoy. I own nothing. I may write a part two to this but I'm still undecided, anyway as I said I hope you enjoy, thanks for reading.

Summary: A moment took Bruce's parents away from him, moments will continue to shape his life. A Bruce POV post episode one continuing right up to when he is Batman

**GOTHAM: YEARS**

12 YEARS OLD

Bruce Wayne doesn't see the world the way he used to.

The sun stopped rising when his parents were murdered, he now, even at this age he lives in eternal darkness.

He wants to do so much more.

But he is young and Gotham is rotting away before his eyes. Everything his parents worked for, their legacy dying with this city.

He reads about Gordon in the papers and when Gordon comes to visit he sees it in his eyes. He wants to do good. He wants to make it right for his parents, and he believes him.

Because he is twelve years old.

Bruce wants to see the world the way he used to.

But even at this young age he knows he is forever changed, but it is ok. So he makes a vow, to his parents, to himself, to Alfred and to the people of Gotham.

He won't let his parents legacy die, he won't let Gotham die and he won't let the people of Gotham live in this darkness as well, his parents deserve that much... the innocent deserve that much.

He has to wait though, he knows that now, he will be patient, he will train himself, he will learn the ways of the very men he will hunt and then he will give Gotham something to hope for.

_You see Bruce, this hospital, these charity dinners we go to they're not just for work, they're to help people and hopefully inspire people to help others... to give people less fortune than us hope..._

The voice of Bruce's father burnt into his memory, he almost wishes he could thank him but the very memory guiding him is also a painful reminder of what he has lost.

Of what Gotham has lost.

He will wait in the darkness, and then at the right time he will teach the people of Gotham what his father once taught him.

16 YEARS OLD

He sits on the stairs watching them. Bruce pulls the jacket closer to his chest and his cap further down over his head, everyone in Gotham knows who he is, he can't put Alfred in danger no matter how willing he is to put himself at risk.

He watches the prostitutes pick up clients, he sees the dirty cops beating down street merchants, he sees the drug dealers selling their goods, not caring that cops are standing a mere twenty feet away from them.

He is disgusted. His fists tighten at his sides, he wants to scream, he wants to punch someone, something, anything. Anger boils underneath his skin.

"Hey kid watcha doing?"

Suddenly his cap is gone from his head, the sun blinds him for a few seconds and he looks up, the dirty cop that had been across the street is now standing right in front of him.

"Hey aren't you Bruce Wayne?"

_No_...

Bruce grabs the knapsack next to him and takes off down the nearest alleyway, once he is sure the cop isn't following him he stops to take a breath.

"You know I have this saying... you really shouldn't steal from people you can't outrun, well you really shouldn't spy on people who can recognise you."

Bruce's eyes widen and he looks up, a girl, maybe a couple of years older than him stands on the fire escape. Her smile is easy, as if nothing in the world can trouble her.

"What?"

"I saw you on the street. You really need a better disguise if you're going to prowl the streets when you're the most recognizable person in Gotham." She replies, now making her way down the fire escape. She stops about a metre away from him, she walks lightly on her feet, he can barely hear her take a step.

"What do you want?" He demands of the girl. She pauses mid step as she circles him, something comes over her face, the easy smile disappears, even if just for a moment.

"I don't want anything, just... be careful, the streets are no place for a rich kid like you." She says before heading over towards the fire escape from where she came. She stops at the bottom of and turns to him once more, the easy smile returns.

"Also don't put you're wallet in your knapsack, it's almost to easy." She throws him his leather wallet, it lands in front of him at his feet, he leans down to pick it up mystified at how she stole it right from under him without him even noticing.

"What's your name?" He asks as he looks up but she is gone.

25 YEARS OLD

Bruce stands at the edge of the abyss, as Batman looking down into the boiling chemicals wondering if somehow a man could survive such a fall.

Hoping that a man could survive such a fall.

He doesn't know how long he stands there but when he hears the footsteps approaching he knows it is time to go.

When he returns home Alfred is waiting for him, a plate of food in hand, telling him what he has been since he was a boy, he never eats enough and he needs to eat to keep his strength up.

It is oddly comforting but not enough, not this time.

A man died tonight.

He can't let it happen again, he won't let it happen again.

It will be his one rule in his fight for justice, in his fight for everything that his parents fought for.

For everything that they stood for.

Batman will know no bounds but he will protect life, because if he doesn't he will become the very thing that he is fighting.

He knows that now, and for the second time in his life Bruce makes another promise he will keep the rest of his life.

Even if he has to die for it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing if you do. This is the second and final part of this story. Some of the end sentence in the 67 years old piece is from one of my most favourite Batman comics of all time Secret Origins starring the Golden Age Batman. I own nothing to do with that either.

CHAPTER TWO

20 YEARS OLD

Bruce Wayne stands opposite the old man, a smirk gracing his face.

"Don't be overconfident, your opponent doesn't care that you think you know more than him." The old man hisses at him. Bruce's anger flares, he attacks the old man but within seconds he is on his back looking up at him, the old man's foot pressed hard against Bruce's neck.

"Don't let your anger control you're decisions or you will never defeat your opponent." The old man lifts his foot up off his neck and helps Bruce to his feet.

"Thank you."

He is about to respond when the distinct sound of gun fire splits the air. Bruce has no time to react before his teacher falls to the ground in front of him, blood pooling around his body. He looks up and three masked men walk into the room.

"What are you doing here kid?" The big one growls, his dark, nearly black eyes stare out from underneath his ski mask.

"What the hell are you talking about? You shot him." Bruce shouts, his anger now boiling over. He looks down at the lifeless corpse of the old man and wonders, for the second time in his life, why someone would murder another human being.

Death is senseless and the people who think they have power over others because they can take life are evil. Not in the horror movie sense of the word, but in the cold hard reality that men and women kill for almost anything and they take everything from their victims and their families.

A low deep growl escapes Bruce's lips, his whole body shakes with anger, when he looks up at the masked men they seem frozen with fear and confusion.

Bruce runs towards them, gunshots split the air once more, it's not until he's falling to the ground does he realize he's been shot.

_Don't let anger control you're decisions... _The words told to him just a few minutes earlier replay in his mind as his vision darkens, the last thing he hears is the masked men laughing as he lay there dying.

67 YEARS OLD

Bruce Wayne wonders down the street, he had just been to the annual charity ball for the Gotham Police Department, one of the few charity balls he never misses.

Plus Gordon had wanted to give him some critical information on a homicide that he needed to pass on to Damian. Bruce notices out the corner of his eye a group of men attacking a woman, without a second thought he rushes towards the scene.

"Hey!" He shouts, they stop and turn to him, that's all the time the young woman needs to make a get away. She disappears down the alleyway. The group of men laugh among themselves at the sight of him.

An old rich man with a walking stick.

Bruce always knew he wouldn't die as an old man in his bed, peacefully in the middle of the night. He accepted that fact a long time ago. Death does not scare him, but the finality of never speaking to Damian again or seeing Selina one last time makes him hesitate and that's all they need.

One of them pulls out a weapon and starts shooting.

Within a second Bruce is on the ground.

Bruce stares up at the night sky as his own warm blood begins to pour out of his chest.

Perhaps this is how he was always meant to die, like his parents on the streets of Gotham, the very place that birthed him will swallow him whole.

In the beginning a criminal killed his parents, in the end a criminal killed him.

In between those two acts of finality he left an imprint on Gotham that will never be forgotten, and that will hopefully serve as hope for every innocent in his city that things can and will be better. That the darkness will eventually lift.

At least that is all he can ask or hope for.

_I love you son... _Bruce's father's voice echos in his ears as he takes his last breath.

11 YEARS OLD

Bruce holds his mother's hand as she walks him out to the backyard. The sun is shining brightly and it almost blinds him for a second as they step outside. His father is sitting on the blanket on the ground reading a book while Alfred sits nearby on a foldout chair.

Bruce laughs as he runs towards his father.

He hasn't seen him in over a month, he had travelled to third world countries in Africa teaching African medical students.

"Oh hello Bruce." He says, he is surprised when Bruce throws his arms around him.

"I missed you." Bruce says and he means it.

"I missed you to son, tell me, did Alfred take good care of you?" He asks with a smile, looking over his shoulder briefly at Alfred.

"The best."

"Good. What do you say we go exploring in those caves you have begging me to for over a year now?"

"Yes." Bruce nearly shouts his answer, his mother laughs lightly at Bruce's excitement. Bruce follows his father closely as they make their way down to the waterfall where the caves entrance is located. Just before they enter the cave Bruce looks up at his father and pulls on his jacket. His father looks down before realizing his son wants to tell him something important so he kneels in the mud before him, his suit getting messy.

Bruce knows his father will probably get into trouble with Alfred because of it.

"I missed you so much... I love you, please don't go away again." He begs his father. His father's face falls for a moment before looking up at his son.

"There are people who need my help Bruce. I'm going to have to go away again..." He pauses for a moment and grabs Bruce's hand and squeezes it.

"Just know that wherever I am Bruce, I am always with you. You're memory keeps me alive..." Bruce wouldn't know the true meaning of these words until years later. His father stands up, dusting of the loose grass and mud off his pants. He takes his son's hand again and looks down at him.

"I love you son."


End file.
